Monday, March 11, 2019

Sweet Roses P.J. 1983



I’ve probably mentioned this several times, but I consider Dream Date P.J. the most perfect version of Steffie 1971 headmold. For that reason, I didn’t fully appreciate Sweet Roses P.J. 1983 the way I should although I have always thought she was a sweet, pretty doll. Dream Date still remains out of my reach, but Sweet Roses has recently been appearing just about everywhere. I’ve seen her available at auctions at an astonishingly low price and other collectors have been praising her beauty on their blogs. The more I saw of her, the more convinced I became that my own collection won’t do without her.


As I unwrapped her I gasped, probably screamed a little bit, but who would blame me, such a reaction is perfectly natural and easily understandable as the doll is simply magnificent. She arrived in an excellent condition and I expected nothing less from her previous owner who also sold me at least three other dolls. P.J. was clean and well taken care of, but her beautiful locks, never brushed once in those 35 years that have passed since her production, were a little frizzy and I began to worry she’d soon begin to resemble something between Bob Marley and a puddle. However, thanks to one of my readers, I discovered a tutorial on how to restore the doll’s curls to their factory shape.




So I settled down to work. First, I dipped the hair still held by the rubber band in very warm water (I’d dare not use boiling water). Once the hair cooled down I brushed every curl separately with a comb dipping it in water. I didn’t however pull them as it was explained in the tutorial for fear of disturbing the upper parts of her hair, so perhaps the result is not as spectacular as anticipated, however wet brushing did help to set the curls. But it’s not only the curls that make the doll so unique, it’s the color of her hair as well. The warm shade of brown mingles nicely with honey colored blonde strands. The result is breathtaking!




P.J.’s hairstyle is very beautiful, but even if the doll were nude and her locks tangled or brushed out, her facepaint makes her instantly recognizable and her identity obvious. No other Steffie faced doll that I know of looks similar to her. For her sweet and innocent look she’s absolutely unique and Mattel achieved that by giving her those lovely lavender eyes, a smoky violet eyeshadow and multitude of lashes. Her eyebrows are drawn softly and her pouty lips are the loveliest shade of raspberry. The subtle blush on her cheeks finishes the look. The doll’s captivating!




P.J. came with her stock gown that is incredibly well made. The amazing quality satin (polyester) is shaped to resemble rose petals in two shades of pink. Each petal is lined with tulle not to make the dress too heavy. The dress is strapless but it’s cut in such a way to make them unnecessary. The gown stays in its place secured with two metal snaps. The original stock also included several fabric rosettes, however they were lost so I gave her some replacement and I think she looks cute with them. The previous owner also added her open-toe heels that weren’t sturdy enough to stand the test of time, but I’m really grateful for them. To my surprise, I also discovered a brush and a comb in the package that I hadn’t expected to be there. These belong to P.J. and were a part of her stock.







I’d seen so many pictures of P.J. but I still can’t get over how sweet a doll she is. Oh if Mattel had a brilliant idea to recreate that look in a playline form I’d buy several of these dolls to give them to all of the little girls in my family, including my daughter. I’m sure the doll would win their little hearts easily as she did mine!




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